Table drop leaf support



g- 1967 w. M. AIKEN, SR

TABLE DROP LEAF SUPPORT Filed 7 June 5, 1966 H (Ill/Illll/l/fl/ll/III/Iw/u 14M M. AIKEN, JR. BY

ATTORNE Y5 United States Patent 3,336,881 TABLE DROP LEAF SUPPORTWilliam M. Aiken, Sr., Statesville, N.C., assignor to Acme Metal Slide,Inc., Statesville, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed June 3,1966, Ser. No. 555,185 3 Claims. (Cl. 108--77) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE Heretofore, drop leaf supports have included slide membersarranged to travel more or less horizontally along the underside of themain table surface in moving to an extended position for supporting thetable drop leaf at its raised position level with the main tablesurface; a drop leaf support of this type being disclosed, for example,in U.S. Patent No. 2,731,317, issued Jan. 17, 1956'. This horizontalmovement is entirely feasible where the hinge arrangement consists of aplurality of hinges each having a restricted extent along the attachmentedge and sufficiently spaced to allow free movement of the slide membertherebetween. However, where it is desired to use a hinge havingsubstantial extent along the attachment edge of the drop leaf, no suchspacing is available so that the use of supports having horizontallymoving slide members is precluded.

By the present invention, a unique drop leaf support is provided whichdoes not require any hinge spacing and which can be utilized eifectivelyto support a variety of sizes of drop leaves. Briefly described, thisinvention provides a drop leaf support which includes a channel bracketadapted to be attached to the underside of a main table surface andformed to carry a slide member in spaced relation below the main tablesurface and to impose an inclined sliding path on the slide memberduring extension and retraction thereof that is clear of the attachmenthinge; provision also being made to vary the inclination imposed on theslide member at its extended position for selectively determining theextended length of the slide member.

These and other features of the present invention are described indetail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating the arrangement of adrop leaf table having a drop leaf support according to the presentinvention, the slide member thereof being in its retracted position;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the drop leaf support illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the line 3--3 inFIG. 2 with the drop leaf attachment hinge indicated in phantom lines;

FIG. 4 is a further fragmentary side elevation illustrating the tabledrop leaf shown in FIG. 1 in its raised position supported by the dropleaf support slide member at its extended position; and

FIG. 5 is a related fragmentary side elevation illustrating the dropleaf support slide member at an adjusted extended position.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a drop leaf10 attached at one edge thereof to a main table surface 12 by a singlehinge member 14 which has a substantial lengthwise extent along theattachment edge of drop leaf 10 and which projects below the undersideof the main table surface 12 as may be best seen in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The illustrated embodiment of the drop leaf support of the presentinvention, generally indicated by reference numeral 16', is fixed to theunderside of main table surface 12 adjacent the hinge member 14 by aplurality of attaching screws 18 extending through openings 20 (FIG. 2)formed in the outwardly extending flange portions 22 of a channelbracket 24 which also includes vertically extending side walls 26 and abottom wall 28 that is inclined with respect to the underside of themain table surface 12.

Located adjacent the forward end of bottom wall 28 is a transverse ridgeor slide boss 30 on which the bottom edge of a slide member 32 ridesduring extension and retraction thereof, slide member 32 being fitted atone end thereof with a loop element 34 and having abutment lugs 36, 38arranged to abut a side wall 26 and thereby determine the maximum slideof slide member 32 within channel bracket 24. Also extendingtransversely between side walls 26 at the back end of channel bracket 24is a positioning member 40 mounted endwise in a pair of aligned slots 42in side walls 26, a cylindrical spacer element 44 being disposed aroundpositioning member 40 between side walls 26. A wing nut 46 threaded onone end of positioning member 40 can be loosened to release thepositioning member 40' and permit adjustment thereof in the slots 42,and then tightened to hold it securely at its adjusted position; thespacer element 44 maintaining sufiicient spacing of side walls 26 whenwing nut 46' is tightened to permit free sliding movement of slidemember 32 therebetween.

For an explanation of the operation of the drop leaf support 16 of thepresent invention, attention is first directed to FIG. 1 where the slidemember 32 is illustrated at its retracted position, the bottom edgethereof resting on slide boss 30 and the back edge 28' of bottom wall28. The slide member 32 is thus carried by channel bracket 24 in spacedrelation below the main table surface 12. After drop leaf 10 has beenlifted to its raised position level with the main table surface 12,slide mem ber 32 is extended along a sliding path. imposed thereon bychannel bracket 24 that is inclined with respect to the main tablesurface 12. It will be noted that the spacing between positioning member40 and bottom wall 28 may be suflicient to permit limited pivotalmovement of slide member 32 about slide boss 30 during extension thereofso that the inclination of the sliding path may vary; however, thisinclination will, in any case, be such that the sliding path imposed onslide member 32 lies beneath the hinge member 14. Extension of slidemember 32 continues until the loop element 34 comes into contact withthe underside of drop leaf 10 and slide member 32 becomes wedged betweenpositioning member 40 slide boss 30 and the underside of drop leaf 10 sothat no further extension is permitted and drop leaf 10 is supported atits raised position.

The extended length of the slide member 32 at its extended or supportingposition can be selectively determined by adjustment of positioningmember 40 to vary the inclination of extended slide member 32 as bestillustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. In FIG. 4, positioning member 40 isillustrated near the lowest end of slots 42 whereby the extended lengthof slide member 32 is relatively short, while in FIG. 5 where a largedrop leaf 10" is being supported, the positioning member 40 is adjustedto a position near the top of slots 42 whereby slide member 32 can pivotabout the fulcrum provided by slide boss 30 and become wedged at alesser inclination with respect to the underside of drop leaf therebyresulting in a longer extended length of slide member 32 which offersmore effective support for the larger drop leaf 10'. Other extendedlengths of slide member 32 can be selected in a similar manner by properadjustment of positioning member 40 in slots 42.

The slots 42 in the illustrated embodiment are arranged so that the longaxes thereof intersect the sliding path of slide member 32 wherebyadjustment of positioning member 40 therein will vary the inclination ofslide member 32 at its extended position in the aforementioned manner.Additionally, the long axes of slots 42 slope substantially fromvertical in relation to the main table surface 12 so that the reactionforce against positioning member 40 resulting from the wedging action ofslide member 32 is directed substantially against the top edges of slots42 so as to reduce the holding load imposed on wing nut 46. It isunderstood, of course, that slots having other slopes than thatillustrated are within the scope of the present invention; however, theillustrated slots 42 provide a nice balance between providing properadjustment of positioning member 40 with respect to the sliding path ofslide member 32 while also reducing the force required to retainpositioning member 40 at its adjusted position when slide member 32becomes wedged at its extended position.

The present invention has been described above for purposes ofillustration only and is not to be limited by this description orotherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

.I claim:

1. Means for supporting a table drop leaf attached at one edge thereofto a main table surface by hinge means having substantial extent alongsaid attachment edge, said supporting means comprising a channel bracketadapted to be fixed to the underside of said main table surface adjacentsaid hinge means, and a slide member slida-bly disposed in said channelbracket for movement between a retracted position permitting said tabledrop leaf to hang from said hinge means and an extended position atwhich the extending end portion of said slide member supports said tabledrop leaf at its raised position level with said main table surface,said channel bracket being formed to carry said slide member in spacedrelation below said main table surface and to impose an inclined slidingpath on said slide member during extension and retraction thereof thatlies beneath said hinge means, and said channel bracket includingadjusting means for varying the inclination imposed on said slide memberat the extended position thereof and thereby selectively determining theextended length of the slide member at said extended position.

2. Means for supporting a table drop leaf as defined in claim 1 andfurther characterized in that said channel bracket includes a slide bosson which the bottom edge of said slide member rides during extension andretraction thereof, said slide boss being located adjacent the end ofsaid channel bracket at which said slide member is extended andretracted and providing a fulcrum about which said slide member ispivoted when the sliding path imposed thereon is varied.

3. Means for supporting a table drop leaf as defined in claim 2 andfurther characterized in that said channel bracket is formed with a pairof side walls each of which have an elongated slot therein, saidelongated slots being respectively aligned in said side walls adjacentthe other end of said channel bracket with the long axis thereofdisposed to slope substantially from vertical in relation to said maintable surface and intersect the sliding path of said slide member, andin that a positioning member is held between said side walls byreleasable securing means engaging said elongated slots for determiningthe inclina tion of said slide member at said extended position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,651,825 12/1927 Luppert 10 8782,210,220 8/1940 Soisson 108-78 2,295,094 9/ 1942 Teague 108-802,458,627 1/1949 North 108-78 2,731,317 1/1956 Duncan 10878 FOREIGNPATENTS 351,125 6/1931 Great Britain.

FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner.

1. MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A TABLE DROP LEAF ATTACHED AT ONE EDGE THEREOFTO A MAIN TABLE SURFACE BY HINGE MEANS HAVING SUBSTANTIAL EXTENT ALONGSAID ATTACHMENT EDGE, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS COMPRISING A CHANNEL BRACKETADAPTED TO BE FIXED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID MAIN TABLE SURFACE ADJACENTSAID HINGE MEANS, AND A SLIDE MEMBER SLIDABLY DISPOSED IN SAID CHANNELBRACKET FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN A RETRACTED POSITION PERMITTING SAID TABLEDROP LEAF TO HANG FROM SAID HINGE MEANS AND AN EXTENDED POSITION ATWHICH THE EXTENDING END PORTION OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER SUPPORTS AND TABLEDROP LEAF AT ITS RAISED POSITION LEVEL WITH SAID MAIN TABLE SURFACE,SAID CHANNEL BRACKET BEING FORMED TO CARRY SAID SLIDE MEMBER IN SPACEDRELATION BELOW SAID MAIN TABLE SURFACE AND TO IMPOSE AN INCLINED SLIDINGPATH ON SAID TABLE MEMBER DURING EXTENSION AND RETRACTION THEREOF THATLIES BENEATH SAID HINGE MEANS, AND SAID CHANNEL BRACKET INCLUDINGADJUSTING MEANS FOR VARYING THE INCLINATION IMPOSED ON SAID SLIDE MEMBERAT THE EXTENDED POSITION THEREOF AND THEREBY SELECTIVELY DETERMINING THEEXTENDED LENGTH OF THE SLIDE MEMBER AT SAID EXTENDED POSITION.